#captivating tale

[beingjellybeans]

Author Andrew Jalbuena Pasaporte to hold book signing event at the Manila International Book Fair 2023

The stage is set for the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) to return to the SMX Convention Center in Pasay from September 14 to 17, 2023. In the heart of the literary world, MIBF serves as a vibrant gathering point for book enthusiasts, authors, and publishers to revel in the enchantment of literature. Rising Star: Andrew Jalbuena Pasaporte As the countdown to MIBF 2023 begins, the…

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#" book signing event #"Gimo Jr. and the Aswang Clan #Andrew Jalbuena Pasaporte #Andrew Jalbuena Pasaporte&039;s journey #book enthusiasts #book fair #book lovers #captivating tale #Filipino Culture #Filipino literature #literary celebration #literary community #literary scene #literature enthusiasts #literature event #Manila International Book Fair #MIBF 2023 #middle-grade author #Pasay #press release #rising author #SMX Convention Center #storytelling #supernatural elements

[captiveinwayhaven]

a profile of my mc from my current read @ataleofcrowns​. I wanted to try and mimic the love interest profiles.

Picrew used

#a tale of crowns #AToC crown #interactive fiction #crown arjîn #atoc d #atoc dara #captives mcs

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

My favourite character type: Metaphorically Tortured and Literally Covered in Blood

Jang Uk from Alchemy of Souls counts, even though I don't think he's ever simultaneously tortured and covered in blood, but that is only because that series doesn't use a lot of blood. Dude was mentally tortured and literally killed 86 people in one go, there should be blood.

In order: Jang Uk & Naksu/Mu-deok/Cho Yeong Alchemy of Souls, Han Ri-ta & Kim Do-ha Moon in the Day, Kang Cheol W: Two Worlds, Myul Mang/Kim Sa-ram Doom at Your Service, Lee Chang & Seo-bi Kingdom, Lee In Captivating the King, Lee Rang Tale of the Nine Tailed/1938, Jang Man-wol Hotel Del Luna, Moo-yeon/Yoon Seok-ha 100 Days My Prince

Each time I asked myself, "Are they actually covered in blood or did they just get a little on them? Are they sufficiently tortured or do they only have minor mental turmoil?" These are very strict, scientific criteria.

#tw: blood #alchemy of souls #moon in the day #w two worlds #kingdom kdrama #doom at your service #captivating the king #tale of the nine tailed #hotel del luna #100 day my prince #like the king in The Forbidden Marriage is tortured but not covered in blood #the Happiness characters aren't tortured even if they have blood on them #you need both or it doesn't count #Also I left out characters from shows that I hated #which includes Destined with You and My Demon #but also the My Demon guy might be covered in blood but he's not tortured enough

[the-insouciant-scientist]

Another fic about the Princess being the worst joins the fray, even if it's not quite as Princess-centric as some of the others. It's just that kind of weekend, I think. Also, it's a gift for @the-dye-stained-socialite because I'm horrible <3

(Also written as a way for me to get out all sorts of horrible bad things on paper (keyboard?) while trying to write something genuinely sweet, because those things Can Not Mix in this situation lmao.) (AKA, how would red honey made from someone with amnesia work, both for the user and the one who was fed on? Here's one way, perhaps.)

#the scientist scribbles #c: harper faraday #others ocs #elias leroux #the captivating princess #a copy of your bazaarine tale #red honey #hwwwww tired. this is schroedinger's canon to harper in that it both did and didn't happen. g-dspeed

[starz0rstuff]

“Take a good look around you, Rhys… this is what success looks like. You’ll see… after a while you start to measure it by the size of the pile of destruction around you.”

(The BIG ONE and a small doodle I did to figure out how to draw this silly fellow)

#rhys strongfork #borderlands #borderlands 3 #tales from the borderlands #I finally managed to play some of the borderlands games and his cringe fail personality captivated me #I was also captivated by the decay of his character in the newer games #I love when they do my favorite character incredibly dirty as much as the next guy #but in his case there’s a delusional part of me that is still convinced they could fix him with just a sprinkle of angst #just a sprinkle #a little one #(please gearbox I’m on my knees here) #on a side note it’s really funny how every time I come back here I post something completely different #i think it’s neat #starz artsy stuff

[laurentspeach]

#bc like idk #1) how would they choose which vaskian baby #bc halvik ain’t giving them all up #2) i feel like damen would not approve of that #3) idk how it would work out so it wouldn’t be handmaid’s tale-ish #i suppose they wouldn’t really care about that back then tho??? so i guess it’s a possibility #captive prince

[anxiouspotatorants]

“You forgot. You forgot what’s real. But you have to remember. You have to wake up. Or there will be nothing left to wake up for.”

2099: Maura Franklin and Daniel Solace

(Raw images: not mine)

#2099 moodboard because I choose to believe the empty pod belonged to Daniel #what do you mean he could be a simulation or already dead? He's just running around the ship #or held captive by Ciaran like a princess in a fairy tale #time for Maura to go rescue him #maura x daniel #daniel x maura #maura franklin #daniel solace #1899 spoilers #1899 moodboard #my moodboards #1899 netflix #1899

[evelynmlewis]

Story: The Boy in the Castle

I've decided to serialize it over a series of 9 posts. Do you like spies? Pathetic wet cat male protagonists? Original fairy tales? Christian allegories? Yes, everybody these days is doing them I know. My very best attempt at evoking the 18th century? (I try.) This story has not yet appeared in print, but it will (now that I am my own publisher) at some point in the future, but likely as part of an anthology... for now... it is my gift to you.

The Boy in the Castle

Part 1.

It was a perfectly ordinary day for Ilya Severin.

His attacker, a bulky brute with tattoos and tanned skin, brandished half of a broken beer bottle threateningly. Ilya picked up a chair and held it in front of himself, legs out, for defense.

“Watch who you mess with next time, bilge scum!” the man bellowed, before grabbing the legs of the chair and using it to swing him bodily into the wall.

 Ilya crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach. He didn’t bother to get up, but waited for the man to leave.

After the pub had settled down, Dimitri came over and found him. The younger man crouched down. “What happened this time?” he asked in a low voice, looking over his shoulder to make sure everybody was back to minding their own business.

“He called me a coward and a weakling.”

“So you decided to prove him wrong, did you?”

“Gave him a good sock in the jaw.” Ilya accepted Dimitri’s offer of a white napkin, and wiped the blood dribbling from his nose.

“I can’t leave you alone for half a day, can I? You’re already drunk.”

“I come here to find work,” said Ilya.

“You’re not even sober.”

“So what?” Ilya coughed, and pulled himself into a sitting position.

“You’re supposed to be the best smuggler in Rostek.”

“I am the best smuggler in Rostek.” He gave a crooked grin.

“Oh? How will I present you to your client in a state like this?”

Ilya rubbed his nose gingerly. “My client?”

“Yes, your client. I decide to pay back that favor and get you a job, and this is what you give me to work with? Come on, let’s get you back to the inn.”

Ilya splashed his face with water and then rinsed out his greasy, shoulder-length hair in a wooden bucket. Finally he dried off his face with a towel, and with it came the last traces of the blood and grime.

“I need a drink…”

“No,” said Dimitri, standing behind him.

“Of water. Relax.”

“Behind you.” Dimitri pointed to a copper cup on the vanity.

He turned around in the inn’s washroom, found the cup, and sipped it slowly. Then he sat on a wooden stool and started to comb through his hair. “So, you say that you no longer owe me a favor. What have you come up with?”

“Last night a noblewoman, one of those landed gentry it would seem, sent her servant to the pub. He said his mistress would hire only the best smuggler in Rostek. It had a well-paying sound to it, so I mentioned your name.”

“I see. Well then, fine. Count it even. When is my appointment?”

“Half past eleven tomorrow. She’ll meet you at Saint Beska’s Abbey.”

“Did she happen to give a name?”

“No.” Dimitri shook his head.

           ***

The next morning, Ilya dressed in his best waist-coat and tie. He had brushed his hair and washed it with nothing more classy than a bar of soap. He had bathed well enough to hopefully not stink, although it was hard to fully get rid of the smell of alcohol.

Dimitri met him downstairs in the front of the inn, and wrinkled his nose. “Try some mint.”

“No time.” He waved off the young man, who had been hanging around him like some kind of gnat since they ran the last commission together. (He hated to admit it, but Dimitri’s imagined debt to him was probably actually just pity for his sorry state.)  “I’m running late.” It was an hour’s ride to the abbey. For the good smuggler, nothing was more important than punctuality.

“Good morrow, then.” Dimitri gave a wave and retreated to the upstairs rooms.

Ilya went out back to the stable, saddled up, and started off to the Abbey.

Saint Beska’s was outside the city of Rostek proper, to the north, but still within the bounds of the principality of Rostek, which was a small kingdom of the East.

The Abbey sat on a rolling green. There were hedgerows for two miles, finally giving way to trimmed topiary and then the walls of the spreading complex. This was a place for nuns; men did not usually come here, and he wondered if this woman, whoever she was (not a nun, certainly?) was planning to admit him.

When he rode up to the iron-studded gates, he dismounted and approached, wondering if a knock on such a large door would even be noticed.

But as it turned out, no knock was necessary, for there was a shout from above and the gates began to open. He stood back.

The woman came out alone. He understood as soon as he saw her why she had not come to the pub in person. She was in her fifties, and had on a black half-mourning dress, with a purple train. He could not see any jewelry, but mourning clothes could be deceptively simple, and the silk of her dress seemed to exude hidden wealth. She was not wearing a veil.

So then, a dowager whose husband was recently deceased. But not too recently—within the past year or so.

“Madame,” he said, and politely made a small bow.

“Sir.” She did not smile. Nor did she seem terribly impressed. “I sent for a smuggler.”

“Now ma’am,” he said carefully, “All my trade business is of course perfectly lawful.” These naive nobles lacked any sense of the rules of the game. He wasn’t of a mind to incriminate himself before establishing a rapport.

“Then I have no use for you.” She turned around and started to walk back toward the doors.

Ah – he was losing her. “Now, hang on just a moment.”

The woman stopped walking.

“I am… very good at what I do.”

“I sent for the best smuggler in Rostek,” she said, looking back at him. “Are you he?”

“I stay humble.” He scratched at his collar.

Her eyes sharpened. “We may have business, then.”

He nodded. Now they were on. “What do you need?”

He could hazard a guess. He had a burgeoning suspicion about who she was. A noble, yes, but not a noble of Rostek – she was from the kingdom of Belova, toward the south, just like he was. An ongoing civil war there had dethroned the King, and as revolutionaries, called the Vroek Coalition, hunted down and killed the Belovan nobles, they had fled to surrounding countries. This woman had doubtless fled recently, and most likely had left behind some valuable or sentimental personal property that she wished for him to retrieve.

He smiled confidently.

 “I wish you to escort me and my son into Belova,” she said.

Ilya took half a step back, stunned. It took him a moment to reply. “To a country fraught with war?”

She raised an eyebrow. “To the capital. Stosla.”

“Surely you must have gone to great pains to escape from there,” he ventured.

She looked at him drily, and he thought her eye twinkled a bit, but he couldn’t be sure. She wasn’t going to say anything.

“You would be heading into great danger.”

“I am aware of the risks.”

“What are you going to do when you get there?”

“I have made arrangements.”

Ilya thought about this. Perhaps she had a cover – and a safe house. She was a spy, perhaps. A spy for the royalist side of the conflict. If she knew what she was doing, this could work. But—

“How old is your son?” he asked.

“He is nine years old.”

“Nine?!” Ilya stepped back, setting his teeth into a grimace. He folded his arms, looking at the ground, and kicked a pebble. “What shall I call you, madame?”

“You may call me… Madame Olga,” she said, as if deciding on the name.

“All right, listen, Madame Olga. I’ll take you anywhere you wish to go, but this isn’t any kind of journey for a child.”

“He must come.”

“With all due respect, Madame, it’s madness to bring a child on a trip like this.” His deferential mask was slipping, and he tried to put it back on, but it was a bit of a lost cause. “Children are… unpredictable. He will be a liability. Such a journey calls for… discretion… and… fortitude. You should leave him here, where he’s safe.” A child of only nine years would certainly get them all killed.

Olga’s lips tightened, but she remained unmoved. “He is non-negotiable.”

He sighed, trying to imagine the journey and the accommodations. Ilya wiped a hand across his face. “Is he quiet?”

“My son is very well-mannered. Will you do it or not?”

“I’d like half up-front.”

She smiled for the first time. “Done. It shall be paid on our next meeting. Come again this time tomorrow.”

Ilya shook her hand, feeling sweaty.

He started turning around back to his horse, then paused. “Expenses also upfront.”

“Expenses?”

“I’ll need coin to rent a stagecoach.”

She reached into her purse. Ah, finally.

Next Part

#read the tags for mild spoilers #writing #my writing #fairy tale #kind of #original fairy tale #uhhhhh #historical fiction #salt and light #blahblahblah #plaaaaaaceeeholderrr #more just to put this under the cut #one more #etc blah blh blah #blahblah #captivity whump

[copics-and-renegades]

Whumptober 2023 Day 14: Feed Me Poison, Fill Me 'til I Drown

He might want to be happy it's getting served hot, at least.

---

More Whumper!Yuan AU and honestly just me being silly. As I said before, most of their interactions in this AU are the American Chopper meme.

The aftermath is probably Botta getting a takeout bag hurled at his head when he least expects it. At least that has seen a stove at some point.

I had this idea that complaining about the food is Botta's way of picking a battle that seems smaller and more manageable - as opposed to the tiny little fact that he is a prisoner - in an attempt to feel more in control about his situation. (I'm so deep, I'm not just silly lmao.)

#whumptober2023 #no.14 #lyric #tales of symphonia #botta #yuan ka fai #fanart #captivity cw #whump #ink #whumper!yuan au

[andreai04]

“We’re all yearning for escape. A respite from the life that’s been chosen for us.”

#reading #books read in 2023 #bookblr #books #book photography #book blog #bibliophile #books reading #book quotes #the grace year #kim liggett #dystopian #lord of the flies #meets #the handmaid's tale #really really good #i enjoyed it #unique #kept me captivated #couldn’t put down #loved it #review #four stars #but maybe #4.4 stars #close to a 5 #been on my tbr too long #june reads #first book of the month #would recommend

[sunthroughdarkclouds]

Mia Sara as Princess Lily in Legend (1985), directed by Ridley Scott

#witch #princess #demon #dream #dreams #influence #Mia Sara #Lily #Princess Lily #fairy tale #legend #folklore #fantasy #80s movies #80s #beauty #beautiful #escape #captivity #temptation #demonic #ridley scott #dark #darkness #goth #gothic

[maryse127]

I hate it when games trigger the next story scene/boss fight when the in game distance marker still says you are more than 10 units away. Had some unexpected free time this morning so I snuck some Tales of Arise in but then I didnt get a chance to save and quit because the game decided to trigger what I assume to be the final boss rush or at least one of the final bosses of the game while there was still more than 50 on the distance marker. Like my last save is very close to that point and with no fights in between but this is so annoying. Xenoblade does it too sometimes but not with fucking 50 on the counter. Or at least I dont remember it being this severe.

#xenoblade #tales of arise #gaming #i am so done with this game #like the story and characters got me captivated but I have been fucking done with the gameplay forever #honestly just rushing through to see how it ends at this point #especially since I probably get Final Fantasy 9 next sunday which I am very excited to play

[death-rebirth-senshi]

I love just abandoning Elden Ring playthroughs I'm just like "okay that's enough" and start a new game...I've been playing Elden Ring almost nonstop (with a little mass effect break) since I got it in November and it's now June. And I'm still like...hm I think I'm done with this strength/int endeavor I want to try blasphemous paladin again

#I just love roleplaying a sad paladin learning their oath is kind of shit #and trying but failing to abandon it and instead striking a balance where they redefine their oath for themselves #which isn't. *really* a paladin. In the DnD sense. There's Consequences to breaking an oath there isn't it? which is very fun actually #but this isn't DnD #me vs elden ring #I'm always captivated by the concept of what it means to have faith in the world of dark souls #where objectively factually the things you have faith in are failing/have failed and fallen #and the figures central to your religion turn out to be flawed and human #and yet at the same time miracles are tangible things and your faith allows you to heal and defend yourself and spread blessings #what is 'faith' in this scenario exactly? Faith in what? #I can never make a dumb faith build who just walks forward with entirely blind belief I always have to angst it a bit #in dark souls I always lean back towards it being faith *in* the miracles. The tales of the gods you recite to receive their blessing #or copy their abilities with lightning spear etc. #Elden Ring is especially funny of course because faith allows you all kinds of incantations. And I think the fact that you have all kinds o #incantations. MOST of which are kind of blasphemous and have nothing to do with the Erdtree itself #and yet you can cast them just the same as any other incantation #is an interesting concept to me. For a character to struggle with. #Alongside the whole 'Marika was the one who shattered the Elden Ring' thing. #I also like making devoted faith knights who swear oaths and are secretly really repressed gay boys. #what if I wielded a blasphemous blade of unholy flame and you wielded a sliver of a cold dark moon and we were both boys

[everyone-calm-down]

Y’know what? Maybe in my selkie story the magical creatures DON’T get tricked into captivity.

MAYBE a backpacker accidentally wanders slightly off trail and comes across what appears to be an abandoned coat. And hell, it does look like a nice coat indeed. Good insulation for this sea mist. And maybe there’s a large tear in the coat and the backpacker has some spare needle and thread in an emergency kit since it’s good to be prepared on a long hike. And maybe it’s later in the day so it’s a good time to set up camp and get to work fixing the coat. Purely by coincidence, a naked lady happens to show up once the coat is done. And maybe she seems cold and distressed so why wouldn’t a backpacker who is already prepared for the weather not give her a newly fixed coat to stave off the twilight chill? She seems grateful, and runs off right afterward but whatever. Weird shit in a weird country, right? And maybe a whole group of ladies show up the next day with torn coats that need fixing, and the backpacker decided to take a zero miles day to help. And maybe that’s all that happens. MAYBE selkie stories can be funky and weird and the seal people get to be happy and have new coats.

#selkie #slightly a story #the moral of animal bride stories is that you shouldn’t trap a wild animal in captivity so why not have good stories to show that #give me a ‘Jane Goodall but for magic creatures’ tale #I might also still feel salty for all that fantastic beasts could have been #and I’m bored at work

[laurentspeach]

jokaste:

#this came to me in a dream #(i saw it on twt) #a bad bitch lost to a badder bitch #tale as old as time #captive prince #jokaste

[kqluckity]

.

#ill stop talking about the divina commedia now i promise #you guys just need to understand one thing. here it's not just a book or a theological writing or something #like yes it's all of that #but it's also the basis on which the it*lian language is founded #that's why I'm passionate about it #like!! he wrote a whole poem in vulgar language when everyone still used latin okay!! he went and told everyone #hey you know what. yes you can actually use vulgar to speak of important matters! he also invented many words that we still use #you can even use it to talk about god. look at me I'm doing it #and used the comedy form because it would be more captivating or something like that #also fun fact (?) he didn't call it the divine comedy. he just called it ''the comedy'' #divine was added later by another ''italian'' poet (boccaccio)(yes the guy whose work inspired the Canterbury tales) who recognized how #important it was #like. just calling it la commedia was probably the only humble thing dante ever did #k after this lesson (?) in the tags of this post. I'll leave and stop talking about it